Bloom
by sailornia
Summary: After Sting invites Yukino to join Sabertooth again, he takes it upon himself to apply her new guildmark. [StingYu] [Fluff] [OneShot/Potential MultiChap]


**Bloom**

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 **For any returning readers:** I have no excuse as to why I haven't updated any of my other fics...other than mental health lol.

BUT! I had posted this one shot on tumblr a year or so ago, and when I saw I hadn't uploaded it to ffnet I was shocked! Ah well, I hope you enjoy, and please stay tuned as I am trying still to work on new chapters. This is merely some PG-rated StingYu platonic (heavily hinted romantic) fluff. If this gets a strong enough response I may consider turning it into a multi-chapter fic...and the rating may climb a bit higher, since I can't help myself and my dirty mind. Hmmm.

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 **Disclaimer** : Fairy Tail, its respected characters and its plot are all sole property of Hiro Mashima. Any resemblance to other pieces of literature or fiction, whether published online or on paper, is purely unintentional and merely coincidental.

 **Warnings** : strong language, slight self-harm mention, but don't read too deeply into it please!

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"The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of them all."  
The Emperor, Mulan

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"Quit moving so much, Yukino!" Sting Eucliffe grumbled as his fingers grazed against the swell of his guild mate's hip. They had been trying, with no luck, to apply her new guildmark for what seemed like an eternity now and his patience was quickly beginning to wan.

"I can – " before she could finish her sentence, the celestial mage erupted into another fit of uncontrollable laughter, sucking in her stomach and turning her body away from her friend's grip.

The dragon slayer huffed again in annoyance, falling back onto his haunches, arms now crossed tightly against his chest.

"I'm so sorry, Sting," Yukino finally managed to catch herself, wiping at several tears that had leaked their way through the corners of her eyes, "your hands are just so cold! Why aren't you wearing your gloves?"

Sting blanched, stretching and rolling his hands and their digits as they sat in the crook of each arm. Oh. He had…well, he had put them on, but…

He felt the tips of his ears begin to burn.

Clearing his throat, the dragon slayer, moved back forward, resting his weight back towards his knees once more.

"Nah, it's fine, no need to apologize, just try to hold still," before his eyes roamed back to where her hips sat, immobile, in front of him. A small scar rest just above the dip of her torso, a shade slightly off from her natural skin tone, a different texture altogether. He had been staring at it the entire time, wondering if they would ever get close enough so that he could show her all of his scars, too.

"Sting?"

He didn't answer, instead cupping his hands around his mouth, blowing onto them in a weak attempt to warm the skin.

"Try not to move this time, 'kay Yukino?" Sting grinned up at her after moving his hands. One of his palms grasped the curve of her waist with newfound confidence, the other reaching for a small black knob that rest besides his knees.

He whispered a careful prayer, pleading that he didn't fuck this up.

As the stamp pressed against Yukino's stomach, she bit her lip in turn, swallowing every giggle that threatened to sputter out. A soft, sweet blue aura was emitted as the mark set in, and Sting swore he almost held his breath as well. Once the glow had dissipated, he removed the stamp to admire his handy work, fingers grazing the mark's clean outline.

"Not too shabby for a first go, eh?" Sting laughed, admiring how the Sabertooth guild mark bent just below that same scar of hers he had been so fixated on. He reached his hands up to the hem of her shirt after she made no start to cover herself back up, but Yukino's hands were quicker, stalling his. Sting froze at the sudden collision of palm against palm, looking back up at the celestial mage, worried he had hurt her somehow.

"Yukino, is everything – "

The celestial mage dropped to her knees in front of her new guild master, tears brimming in her eyes as they began to carve thick streaks down her cheeks.

"Sting," before he could react, her arms had found their way around his broad shoulders, and he nearly fell back from the weight. Their bodies were so close, and she smelled so good, like the air after it rains or the first blooms of spring, and Sting found himself completely enthralled before he realized she had even said more.

"What was that?" He mumbled against her halo of hair, arms encircling her waist gently.

"Thank-you so much," her voice was muffled and choked, "thank-you so much for believing in me. For giving me a second chance." Yukino pulled back so their eyes could meet, smiling amidst the falling tears.

"I promise I won't let Sabertooth down!"

Sting pulled her back towards him, his nose finding itself in the juncture between her bare neck and shoulder. He selfishly breathed in her scent once more, feeling it soothe his mind and body, wishing he could keep their bodies embraced just like this. It had been so long...

"There's no way you ever could." Was his only reply.

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 **Notes**

Ah, I hope you all enjoyed it, despite how short it was! Again, I'm considering expanding on this into a possible three-part fic...and with that, the rating may climb a bit. But I haven't decided yet - if you liked this, please leave a review or a favourite! If the response is nice I'll continue. x


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